Business leaders support Clinton

Bolstering her claim to the status of corporate America's favorite candidate, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign on Tuesday announced a group of Nevada business leaders who are backing her.

The group is led by former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, now a Harrah's Entertainment executive, who had previously announced her support for Clinton. Also on the Nevada Business Leadership Council are former Harrah's Chairman Phil Satre and Vegas.com CEO Howard Lefkowitz.

"Business has been a cornerstone of the Clinton campaign, and Senator Clinton has been remarkable in terms of finding the balance between supporting organized labor and still recognizing the importance of building a strong business community," Jones said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

Democratic leaders chose to hold an early presidential contest in Nevada in part because its large proportion of union workers, about 15 percent of the workforce, is higher than most other states. Many Democratic candidate visits to Nevada have been held at union halls as they aggressively seek the support of labor here.

Satre said Clinton could be good for both labor and management. With her policies to expand access to education and health care, he said, Clinton's policies promote "keeping a workforce that prospers alongside the businesses that employ them."

Her proposals, he said, would go the furthest to strengthen America in the global economy.

On two key Nevada-specific business regulation issues, however, the business leaders couldn't pin Clinton down.

On mining reform -- imposing a new royalty on the proceeds of hard-rock mining on public land -- Clinton has not yet taken a position, they said. And on online gaming, they didn't know where she stands.

"Senator Clinton has been very fair in looking at offline gambling as the economic engine it's proven to be," Jones said. "As for online gambling ... she has not taken a position, but I'm sure she's willing to listen."

Clinton's support from the business community, the most of any candidate of either party by some measures, prompted a jab from populist rival John Edwards earlier this year. "You will never see a picture of me on the front of Fortune magazine saying, 'I am the candidate that big corporate America is betting on,'" the former North Carolina senator told a labor forum in August, after Clinton was featured on the magazine's cover.

Endorsement-heavy and committee-heavy, the Clinton campaign already boasts Nevada councils of Hispanic, black, Native American, Asian American, health care, women and educational leaders. Many of the more than 400 prominent supporters serve on more than one committee.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2919.